consumer report

Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary

Written or oral information provided by a consumer reporting agency that relates to a person's creditworthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, personal characteristics, or lifestyle, to be used in employment decisions, to decide whether to grant the person credit, to decide whether to rent to the person, or for other legitimate business purposes. Examples of consumer reports include criminal background checks and credit reports. To request a consumer report about someone, the requester must follow the procedures in the Fair Credit Reporting Act.